Schaefer makes family proud during NHL homecoming with Islanders

TORONTO -- Matthew Schaefer admitted he played through a bit of a sore stomach during his NHL homecoming in southern Ontario on Tuesday.

Whatever it was, the cause of the discomfort certainly wasn’t from nerves, given the way the rookie defenseman performed for the New York Islanders in a 3-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.

Playing in the same building where he used to cheer on the Leafs as a kid, Schaefer displayed the type of calm, cool and collectiveness that an 18-year-old shouldn’t have, especially in front of what he estimated to be up to 1,000 family, friends and acquaintances in the stands.

Then again, this is no ordinary teenager, in case you hadn’t noticed.

By the time the final horn sounded, Schaefer had led the Islanders in ice time at 22:57 and had the secondary assist on Calum Ritchie’s power-play goal in the first period, which ended up being the game-winner. Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, now has 49 points (20 goals, 29 assists) in 68 games this season and continues to be the leading candidate to win the Calder Trophy as NHL's rookie of the year.

“I had a little tummy ache out there, so, honestly, it was just so good to get the two points,” Schaefer said. “I mean, I just love playing hockey. Sometimes if you have a long shift, you just need a couple of deep breaths and kind of recoup.

“But then, once you’re ready to go you’re back out there.”

On this day, it was all systems go for Schaefer from the moment he arrived at the arena for the morning skate.

One of the first people he encountered was Jim Nyhuus, who coached Schaefer when he was a 15-year-old playing for the Halton Hurricanes of the South Central Triple A U16 league in 2022-23.

“Love you man,” Schaefer said as the two exchanged a hug.

Twenty minutes later, Schaefer skated onto the same rink that the heroes of his youth had played on. He paused to look up at the stands, taking it all in as part of the special moment it truly was.

“To finally step onto that ice, that was awesome,” he said after the morning skate.

Schaefer’s comments came in front of a scrum of 20-plus reporters and several TV cameras. He handled it with the same poise with which he plays.

When asked about the prediction he’d made on Monday that an entourage of about 1,000 would be on hand for the game, he broke into a wry grin.

“Maybe I was pushing it a bit,” he said with a chuckle. “But there’s going to be a lot.”

There certainly were, which he found out firsthand during warmups.

“It was awesome, seeing so many friends and family in the stands and getting out there,” Schaefer said. “It’s pretty cool. It brings back memories of coming here as a kid with friends and things like that.”

One of the first familiar faces he spotted was Brady Scriven, who is the brother of Matthew’s best friend, Ryan. Brady is a goalie for the Brantford 99ers U12 AAA minor hockey team that Schaefer served as an honorary coach for during the Olympic break.

“I threw a puck up to Brady when I saw him, and everyone came up and tackled him because they’re all trying to get the puck," Schaefer said. "So, I think there was a little scrum there for that.”

Brady had plenty of company when it came to the masses cheering for Schaefer. His dad, Todd, and older brother, Johnny, watched from a private box. His wheelchair-bound grandmother, Marianne, was in the building watching her grandson play an NHL game for the first time live.

Schaefer even said a handful of his school teachers from the past were on hand.

As he was relaying all of this information to the media during his postgame availability, Brayden Schenn watched from the other side of the dressing room. Acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6 from the St. Louis Blues, Schenn has quickly become a mentor to Schaefer, who has already has made plans to visit the veteran center in British Columbia during the offseason.

“He’s just so composed,” said Schenn, who scored his first goal with the Islanders in the first period. “It’s amazing how he handles all this attention, and the best thing is, it’s never about him. He’s all about his teammates.

“Playing in the Western Conference, I had no idea how good he was. We’d played him once and I’d watched on TV, but being on the ice with him was another story.”

Perhaps the perfect ending on such a special day was when he met his family before getting on the team bus. And upon seeing his grandmother waiting in her wheelchair for him, he went over and gave her a huge hug.

“I’m so proud of him,” she said. “His mother would have been, too.”

Schaefer’s mother, Jennifer, passed away from breast cancer in February 2024.

What would she have said about her son, who grew up in Stoney Creek, which is located about 50 miles southwest of Toronto?

“I think she’d have been proud seeing me play here,” Schaefer said.

On this, his NHL homecoming, there were plenty of people who felt exactly that way.